


The Price and Sacrifice

by jesseofthenorth



Category: 28 Weeks Later (2007)
Genre: Angst, Future Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-24
Updated: 2012-05-24
Packaged: 2017-11-05 22:31:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/411708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesseofthenorth/pseuds/jesseofthenorth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She doesn't like fire much anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Price and Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> If you have not seen this movie you are doing yourself a dis-service. Yes it's a Zombie(ish) movie but it is also intense and terrifically acted and at least as good as the first movie 28 Days Later.
> 
> Also? Renner.
> 
> Written for [hc-bingo](http://hc-bingo.livejournal.com/)'s May mini-challenge for rare/small fandoms.
> 
> The prompt was Fire.

It's cold at night now. It keeps getting colder the farther north they go. They keeping moving though, into the cold and not away. Scarlet says Lund University is there best hope now, to find a cure. It's in Sweden and there are still people there because the farther north you go the harder it is to survive, especially for the infected. 

It's almost winter and people are freezing to death. Or whatever. Tammy tries hard not to think of the infected as zombies it feels like some kind of a betrayal of the humanity she knows the infected no longer have. It doesn't stop her being glad they freeze. It doesn't stop the viscous twist in her gut when she thinks about them all being dead.

So they move north, and she keeps her brother as safe as she can. At night, when they have shelter, they light a fire. It keeps them warm and sometimes it cooks their meals. It keeps them alive. It keeps her awake.

And it reminds her of Doyle. 

It's been months and she can still see the horrid way his face twisted and melted into the flame as he went down. As he pushed them away and saved their lives and died.

She doesn’t sleep much on the nights they have a fire. It’s okay though someone has to keep the fires going and this way she can watch over Andy. It’s okay if she’s awake, because if she’s awake she can’t dream about his face and the way it melted into the flame as if he was made of wax. She has seen it so often in her dreams that Tammy can't honestly remember anymore if that is what she saw that day out the back window of the car.

So she stays awake and keeps watch and stokes the fire and doesn’t dream. Not dreaming doesn't keep her from remembering.

She is not so stupid that she would deny what he did. If it weren’t for Doyle's sacrifice she and Andy would both have died that day. She still struggles with how to feel about it.

 

Tammy throws more wood on the fire and waits for it to be morning. 

 

As the first gray is leeching back in to the sky she hears movement, recognizes a familiar footfall. 

“Can't sleep?” Scarlet asks sitting down beside her.

“Just keeping the fire. It's cold out.” Tammy looks at the plastic covered windows on the shack. Plastic keeps the wind out but not so much the cold.

Scarlet looks at her at Tammy knows she's not fooling anyone.

“It's okay you know” Scarlet says “ I dream about him sometimes to.”

It surprises Tammy to hear that. “What do you do to make it better?” she asks. She can't help the plaintive tone in her voice, she wants so bad for it to be better.

 

Scarlet looks at her a moment and then sighs “Remember to be grateful.” She settles into the ratty old over stuffed chair. “Get some sleep Tammy. If you can help with the driving we could get there tomorrow”

Tammy nods and goes to curl up with her sleeping brother.

 

Just as she drifts off she whispers quietly “Thank you” and hugs Andy close.


End file.
